As DePaul Departs As Part Of Catholic 7, Nothing But Futility Vs. UConn

March 11, 2013|By JOHN ALTAVILLA, jaltavilla@courant.com, The Hartford Courant

HARTFORD — UConn's defeat of DePaul in the Big East quarterfinals Sunday ended, at least temporarily, the Huskies' rivalry with the Blue Demons.

From the competitive standpoint, it's likely a good thing for DePaul, which lost all 11 games to UConn since joining the conference in 2005-06.

But it means that DePaul coach Doug Bruno and UConn's Geno Auriemma are going to have to work harder to play each other beginning next season, when the Blue Demons, as part of the Catholic 7, join the new Big East.

"At this point, I just want to celebrate the pioneers of the game who put this league together, people like Dave Gavitt and Mike Tranghese [former commissioners of the league]," Bruno said. "And UConn, on the women's side, needs to be celebrated just like they do. They set the gold standard that has raised the rest of us who have played in [the Big East].

"And now as we move forward [into the basketball-only Big East] we'll try to take what we've learned in our eight years here. Somebody in the group that is leaving [among the Catholic 7] needs to step up now and become what UConn and Notre Dame have become. … But it's all about having players say yes to your program. There's no magic to it. You need players."

Auriemma and Bruno are great friends, and Bruno was Auriemma's lead assistant on the 2010 World Championship and 2012 Olympic team.

Bruno said he would be very interested in speaking to Auriemma about renewing the series, but won't do so until after the Final Four. And UConn's 2013-14 is already booked with 31 regular-season games, one more than they usually play.

They Call The Point Moriah

Geno Auriemma's decision to start freshman Moriah Jefferson at the point for the first time in her career Sunday was based on need.

"At some point, she is going to have to play, and she is going to have to play well," Auriemma said. "And it's been getting more difficult to get her into situations that are comfortable for her. If you put her in off the bench when we are winning, that's easy. If you bring her in off the bench and we are struggling, that's difficult for a freshman and that's what happened at Notre Dame [four minutes].

"The best way to make sure [that it's a productive appearance] is to make sure she is in the game when it means something. I wanted to start her and see what happened."

Jefferson scored 12 points in 23 minutes, shooting 5-of-9 from the field [2-of-3 from three] with three rebounds and three assists.

No Tie

Louisville's Jeff Walz is noted for his casual sideline attire; no sport coat or tie. And sometimes his shirt sleeves are buttoned. The reason is a tradition started the day Walz interviewed for the job when he walked into the office of Tom Jurich, the AD, and was asked to take his tie off. Walz has brought his team to the postseason with a slogan: "Embrace the play," Walz said. "We've been talking about it for a month … You are going to have finish [shots] with contact." … Auriemma also broke with regular-season tradition by not wearing a tie.

Irish Advance

Notre Dame's huge free throw discrepancy against opponents continued during its quarterfinal win over South Florida. The Irish outscored the Bulls, 26-10, and won by nine, 75-66. "Our free throw defense wasn't very good today," Bulls coach Jose Fernandez said "They shot 35 of them and that's tough to defend."

Notre Dame (and Louisville) wore new uniforms designed for use in the tournament. The Fighting Irish's featured shorts that were gray and white in battle fatigue design. Their sneakers and numbers and piping were a combination of fluorescent greens.

"You saw the football thing last year when they came out with all those crazy things," Notre Dame coach Muffet McGraw said. "Adidas wanted to get something out that was different and eye-catching. I like the color, especially the lime green. I think it makes a statement."